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    Danger of Cults

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    476 Unit 4 Social institutions y, 1do Y Understanding the Oda Danger of Cults In late November 1978, news began to arrive in the United States that a semireligious, social colony in Guyana, South America, headed by the Reverend Jim Jones—founder of the California based People’s Temple—had been the scene of a shocking suicide-murder tte in which wan nine hundred people died trom cyanide poisoning, Many Americans wondered how people could become involved in something like that Some dismissed the participants as ignorant or mentally unbalanced. But as more news came ou it became known that many of the members were fairly well-educated young people and thar Jones was trusted and respected by some members of the California political establishment, We ag learned that such events, although rare, have occurred before. Why are people willing to join extremist religious groups? Sociology can help us understand the motivations Most converts to extremist religious groups seek JSriendship, companionship, acceptance, warmth, and recognition. These groups can provide a supportive community that helps ‘overcome past loneliness and isolation. They can provide emotional ties that converts have not found at home, school, church, or work. Many groups even adopt kinship terms to give recruits new identities to separate them from their former lives. Most extremist religious groups emphasize immediate experience and emotional gratification. Converts “feel” religion rather than merely think about it. Whether by meditation, speaking in tongues, or singing hymns, followers have frequent and intense emotional experiences they have not found elsewhere Extremist religious groups emphasize security through strict authority. Under a firm authority structure and a clear, simple set of beliefs and rules, converts have something in which they can believe. Converts think they can exchange The Reverend Jim Jones was the leader of a religions coon in Guyana, South America, where some nine bundred per ‘were involved in a suicide-murder rte ee _ member cape the outside world, which is confusion, fuzzy choices, and sha Moreover, many of these religious groups have joined the consumer society they profess to de- plore, attractively packaging and sell to the public. Not only may the new religious groups not solve the problems people in modem society must face, many are as inauthentic as they accuse society of being, thenticity of any religious group's claims. For pur- poses of self-protection, these questions should be answered carefully before committing to an extrem- ist religious group. + + + + If the answer to any one of the swers to several of these qu! Chapter 14 Religion 477 uncertainty, doubt, and conf sssurance through abeoh en os ixtremist religion: US BroUpS claim authenticity "10 offer et nicily and naturatness in sop oe, iworld. By emphasizing such things an foods, communal fj oe and a uniform dre These iliaton, to show they BrOups attempt world, © not pa NOt part of the flawed outside realize that they cannot completely es- full of uncertainty, des of gray 1g themselves Some key questions exist to evaluate the au- equire that you cut yourself off from and end | Fasano mr tx re a major vehicle for died in Jim Jones's People's Temple mass suicide Doe: fay Does it consider drugs to be true religious experiences? Is corporal punishment or intensi psychological conditioning # part Does it claim to have special know! ese questior restions are positive, ive, hours-long f its program?

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